The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-07-15
CHAPTER XXI.
FLoRENCE ON MARRIAGE.

Miss CeswIcks seizure turned out to be
even worse than was anticipated Once she
appeared to regain consciousness, and began
to mutter something, then she sunk back into
torpor out of which she never woke again
1t was fortunate that her condition was not
such as to require the services of the clergy
man, for Mr.. Plowden was for some DAYS
after the events described in the last chapter
not in condition to give them. Whether it
was the shaking, or the well planted kick, or
the sfock to his system, it is impossible to
say, hut he was in the upshot constrained to
keep his bed for several days Indeed, the
first service that he took was on the occasion
of the opening of the ancient Ceswick vault to
receive the remains of the recently deceased
lady, The only territorial possession which
remained to the Ceswcks was their vault
Indeed, as Florence afterward remarked TO
her sister, there was a certain irony in the
reflection that of all their wide acres there
remained only the few square feet of soil
which for centuries had covered the bones OF
the race.
When their aunt was dead and buried the
two girls went back to the Cottage and were
very desolate. They had both of them loved
the old lady in their separate ways, more es-
pecially Florence, both because she possessed
the deeper nature of the two and because she
had lived the longest with her.
But the grief Of youth at the departure of
age is not inconsolable, anc1ffter a month or
so they conquered the worst of their sorrow.
Then 1t was that the question what they were
to do came prominently TO the fore. Such
little property as their aunt had possessed
was equally divided between them, and the
Cottage left to their Joint use. This gave
them enough to live on in their quiet way,
but it undoubtedly left them in very lonely
and unprotected position. Such as it was,
however, they, or rather Florence, for she
managed all the business, decided to make the
best OF it, At Kesterwicll they were. at any
rate, known, and it was, they felt better to
stay there than to float away aud become
waits and strays on the great sea of English
life So they settled TO stay.
Florence had, moreover, her own reasons
for staying. She had come to the conclusion
that 1t would he desirable that her sister Eva
should marry Mr.. Plowden. Not that she
liked Mr.. Plowden-her lady's instincts rose
up IN rebellion against the man-but if Eva
did not marry him, it was probable that she
would in the long run marry Ernest, and Err
nest, Florence swore, she should not marry.
10 prevent such n marriage was the main
purpose of her life, Her jealousy and hatred
the qualification of her revenge was the evil
star by which she shaped her course. 1t may
seem terrible thing that SO young a woman
could give the best energies of her life TO
such a purpose but it was none the less the
truth.
Hers was wild, strange nature, a nature
capable of violent love and violent hate: the
same pendulum could swing with equal ease
to each extreme. Eva had robbed her of her
lover; she would rob Eva, and put the prize
out of her reach, too. Little she rocked of
the wickedncss of her design, for where in the
long record of human crime is there a wick
edness to surpass the deliberate separation,
Tor no good reason, of two people who love
each other with all their heartsi Surely
there is nonc She knew this, but she did
not hesitate on that account. She was not
hypocritical, She made no excuses 10 her.
self She knew well that on every ground il
was best that Eva should marry Ernest, and
pursue her natural destiny, happy in his love
and In her own. But she would have none of
It, II once they should meet again the game
would pass out of her hands, for tho weakest
woman grows strong Of purpose when she has
her loNer's arm 10 lean on. Florence realized
| this, and determined that they should never
| tet eyes ON each other until an impossible
barrier IN the shape of Mr. Plowden had beer
raised between the two Having thus finally
determined ON the sacrifice, she set about
whetting the knife.
One day, month or SO after Miss CeswicL